JP7147218B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording apparatus that includes a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording medium such as paper, and a supply unit that supplies liquid to the recording head.

2. Description of the Related Art Inkjet recording apparatuses that form images by ejecting ink are widely used as recording apparatuses such as facsimiles, copiers, and printers because they can form high-definition images.

An inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head, a supply unit that supplies ink (liquid) to the recording head, a supply path through which the ink supplied from the supply unit to the recording head passes, and ink that returns from the recording head to the supply unit. circulatory pathways passing through. The circulation path is provided for removing air bubbles in the recording head (returning them to the supply unit).

When the inkjet recording apparatus is shipped, the supply unit is in an empty state (filled with air) to prevent deterioration of the ink, and the recording head is filled with storage liquid to prevent entrainment of air bubbles. filled. When the inkjet recording apparatus arrives, the supply unit is filled with ink, and the storage liquid in the recording head is replaced with ink.

An ink jet printing apparatus that includes a print head and a supply unit that supplies ink to the print head, and in which the print head is filled with a storage liquid at the time of shipment is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-100000.

JP 2015-205418 A

By the way, when the supply unit is emptied and the recording head is filled with the storage liquid when the inkjet recording apparatus is shipped, it is necessary to separate the supply unit and the recording head. For this reason, in the ink jet recording apparatus having the supply route and the circulation route, the supply route is provided with a supply coupling capable of separating and connecting the supply route, and the circulation route is provided with a supply coupling capable of separating and connecting the circulation route. A circulation coupling is provided. Each coupling is separated at the time of shipment of the inkjet recording apparatus, and each coupling is connected at the time of arrival.

However, when the ink jet recording apparatus is delivered, if the supply unit is filled with ink after each coupling is connected and the storage liquid in the recording head is replaced with ink at the same time, air bubbles are caught in the ink in the recording head ( air bubbles in the ink).

In order to avoid this inconvenience, the following method can be considered. That is, by connecting the male part (or female part) of the supply coupling and the female part (or male part) of the circulation coupling, a circulation structure is formed on the supply unit side, and the supply unit is filled with ink in this state. do. That is, the supply unit is filled with ink while the supply unit and the recording head are separated. After that, the male part (or female part) of the supply coupling and the female part (or male part) of the circulation coupling are separated, and the male part and the female part of the supply coupling are connected to communicate the supply route. , connect the male part and the female part of the circulation coupling to communicate the circulation path. That is, the supply unit and the recording head are connected. Then, the storage liquid of the recording head is replaced with ink. According to this method, it is possible to prevent air bubbles from being caught in the ink of the recording head.

However, since the ink inside the coupling always leaks when the coupling is separated, there is a concern that the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus will be stained with the ink in the above method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent air bubbles from being caught in the ink of the recording head and to prevent the inside of the apparatus from being stained with the ink. An object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus capable of

In order to achieve the above object, an ink jet recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording medium, a supply unit that supplies liquid to the recording head, a supply unit and the recording head. and a supply path through which liquid supplied from the supply unit to the printhead passes, and a circulation path that connects the printhead and the supply unit and through which the liquid returning from the printhead to the supply unit passes. The supply path is provided with a supply coupling capable of separating and connecting the supply path, and the circulation path is provided with a circulation coupling capable of separating and connecting the circulation path. The upstream portion of the supply route with respect to the supply coupling and the downstream portion of the circulation route with respect to the circulation coupling are connected by a bypass route configured to be able to communicate and block.

According to the inkjet recording apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, the upstream portion of the supply path with respect to the supply coupling and the downstream portion of the circulation path with respect to the circulation coupling can be communicated and blocked. Connected by a configured bypass path. Accordingly, when the ink jet recording apparatus is loaded, the liquid can be circulated from the supply path to the circulation path via the bypass path. That is, the supply unit can be filled with the liquid without going through the recording head. After that, the male part and the female part of the supply coupling are connected to communicate the supply path, the male part and the female part of the circulation coupling are connected to communicate the circulation path, and the storage liquid of the recording head is replaced with the liquid. By substituting with , it is possible to suppress entrainment of air bubbles in the liquid of the recording head.

Also, by providing a bypass path connecting the supply path and the circulation path, it is not necessary to connect the supply coupling and the circulation coupling to form the circulation structure on the supply unit side. This eliminates the need to separate the supply coupling and the circulation coupling when replacing the storage fluid in the recording head with the liquid after filling the supply unit with the liquid. No liquid leaks from the part. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus from being contaminated with liquid.

1 is a diagram showing the structure of an inkjet recording apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a top view of a first conveying unit and a recording section of the inkjet recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1; A drawing of the recording head that constitutes the line head of the recording unit. View of the print head from the ink ejection surface side FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration around a supply unit and a printhead of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration around a supply unit and a printhead of an inkjet printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a diagram showing the structure around a supply coupling and a circulation coupling of an inkjet recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

An inkjet recording apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1 , in the inkjet recording apparatus 100 , a paper feed cassette 2 as a paper accommodating section is arranged in the lower part of the apparatus main body 1 . Paper P, which is an example of a recording medium, is accommodated inside the paper feed cassette 2 . A paper feeding device 3 is arranged on the downstream side of the paper feeding cassette 2 in the paper conveying direction, that is, above the right side of the paper feeding cassette 2 in FIG. The paper feeder 3 separates and feeds the paper P one by one toward the upper right side of the paper feed cassette 2 in FIG.

In addition, the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is internally provided with a first paper transport path 4a. The first paper transport path 4a is located in the upper right direction of the paper feed cassette 2, which is the paper feed direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 is transported upward along the side surface of the apparatus main body 1 by the first paper transport path 4a.

A registration roller pair 13 is provided at the downstream end of the first paper transport path 4a in the paper transport direction. Further, the first conveying unit 5 and the recording section 9 are arranged on the downstream side of the registration roller pair 13 in the sheet conveying direction. The paper P sent out from the paper feed cassette 2 reaches the registration roller pair 13 through the first paper transport path 4a. The pair of registration rollers 13 corrects skewed feeding of the paper P, measures the timing with the ink ejection operation executed by the recording unit 9 , and sends the paper P toward the first transport unit 5 .

A second transport unit 12 is arranged downstream of the first transport unit 5 (on the left side in FIG. 1) with respect to the paper transport direction. The paper P on which the ink image is recorded by the recording section 9 is sent to the second transport unit 12, and the ink ejected onto the surface of the paper P is dried while passing through the second transport unit 12. FIG.

A decurler section 14 is provided in the vicinity of the left side of the apparatus body 1 on the downstream side of the second conveying unit 12 with respect to the sheet conveying direction. The paper P, the ink of which has been dried by the second conveying unit 12, is sent to the decurler section 14, and the curl of the paper P is corrected.

A second paper transport path 4b is provided downstream of the decurler section 14 (upper in FIG. 1) with respect to the paper transport direction. The paper P that has passed through the decurler section 14 is discharged from the second paper transport path 4b to a paper discharge tray 15 provided outside the left side of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 when double-sided recording is not performed.

A reversing transport path 16 for double-sided recording is provided in the upper portion of the apparatus main body 1 and above the recording section 9 and the second transport unit 12 . In the case of double-sided recording, the paper P that has finished recording on the first side and has passed through the second conveying unit 12 and the decurler section 14 is sent to the reversing conveying path 16 through the second paper conveying path 4b. The paper P sent to the reverse conveying path 16 is subsequently switched in the conveying direction for recording on the second side, passes through the upper portion of the apparatus main body 1, is conveyed rightward, and reaches the first paper conveying path 4a. , and the pair of registration rollers 13, and is again sent to the first transport unit 5 with the second surface facing upward.

A wipe unit 19 and a cap unit 90 are arranged below the second transport unit 12 . The wiping unit 19 horizontally moves below the recording section 9 to wipe off the ink ejected from the ink ejection openings of the recording head and recover the wiped-off ink. The cap unit 90 moves horizontally below the recording section 9 when capping the ink ejection surface of the recording head, and then moves upward to be attached to the lower surface of the recording head.

The recording unit 9 includes a head housing 10 and line heads 11C, 11M, 11Y, and 11K held by the head housing 10, as shown in FIG. These line heads 11C to 11K are supported at a height such that a predetermined interval (for example, 1 mm) is formed with respect to the conveying surface of the first conveying belt 8 of the first conveying unit 5. 2) that is perpendicular to the X direction).

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the ink ejection surface F1 of the head portion 18 of the recording head 17 is provided with an ink ejection region R1 in which a large number of ink ejection openings 18a (see FIG. 2) are arranged.

Ink of four colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) is supplied to the recording head 17 constituting each of the line heads 11C to 11K for each color of the line heads 11C to 11K.

Each recording head 17 moves toward the sheet P conveyed while being attracted to the conveying surface of the first conveying belt 8 according to the image data received from the external computer by the control signal from the control unit 110 (see FIG. 1). ink is ejected from the ink ejection port 18a. As a result, a color image is formed on the paper P on the first conveying belt 8 by superimposing the four colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black inks.

The recording head 17 is also provided with a cleaning liquid supply member 20 that supplies cleaning liquid. The cleaning liquid supply member 20 is arranged adjacent to the head portion 18 on the upstream side of the wiper 25 in the wiping direction (right side in FIG. 3). The cleaning liquid supply member 20 has a cleaning liquid supply surface F2 including a cleaning liquid supply region R2 in which a large number of cleaning liquid supply ports for supplying cleaning liquid are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 5, each recording head 17 is connected to the downstream end of an ink supply tube 70 through which the ink 22 of each color passes. The upstream end of each ink supply tube 70 is connected to a sub-ink tank (liquid tank) 50 for each color containing ink 22 to be supplied to each recording head 17 . Each ink supply tube 70 is provided with a supply pump (liquid supply pump) 72 for pumping up the ink 22 from the sub-ink tank 50 and sending it to the recording head 17 . The ink (liquid) 22 is supplied to the recording head 17 by the supply pump 72, the sub-ink tank 50, an upstream tube 70a (to be described later) of the ink supply tube 70, an air vent tube 73 to be described later, an ink supply tube 75, and the like. A unit 60 is constructed. Also, in the drawing, the ink 22 is hatched for easy understanding. An ink supply tube 70, a sub-ink tank 50, a supply pump 72, and an ink supply tube 75, an ink pack 76, and a supply pump 77, which will be described later, are provided for each recording head 17. I draw one by one for clarity.

Further, each sub-ink tank 50 is connected to the downstream end of an ink supply tube (supply path) 75 through which the ink 22 of each color passes. The upstream end of each ink supply tube 75 is connected to an ink pack (replenishment container) 76 containing ink 22 to be supplied to each sub ink tank 50 . Each ink supply tube 75 is provided with a supply pump 77 that draws up the ink 22 from the ink pack 76 and sends it to the sub-ink tank 50 . As the supply pump 72 and the replenishment pump 77, for example, a tube pump, a syringe pump, a diaphragm pump, or the like can be used.

The ink pack 76 is a container made of an aluminum sheet and filled with the deaerated ink 22 . When the ink 22 is supplied from the ink pack 76 to the recording head 17, as the ink 22 in the ink pack 76 is discharged, the external shape of the ink pack 76 gradually changes from a swollen state to a flattened state.

The sub-ink tank 50 is provided with a detection sensor 55 that detects the liquid surface (upper surface) of the ink 22 . When the detection sensor 55 detects no liquid (or the liquid level is low), the supply pump 77 supplies a predetermined amount of ink 22 from the ink pack 76 to the sub ink tank 50 .

The cleaning liquid supply member 20 is configured to be supplied with the cleaning liquid by a liquid supply mechanism similar to that of the head section 18 . That is, cleaning liquid is supplied to the cleaning liquid supply member 20 from a main cleaning liquid tank via a sub-cleaning liquid tank (none of which is shown) using a supply pump.

In this inkjet recording apparatus 100, in order to clean the ink ejection surface F1 of the recording head 17, at the start of printing after a long period of stoppage and between printing operations, the ink ejection openings 18a of the head section 18 have high viscosity The cleaning liquid is supplied from the cleaning liquid supply port (not shown) of the cleaning liquid supply member 20 while purging is performed to push out the remaining ink 22 . Then, the wiper 25 (see FIG. 3) of the wipe unit 19 wipes the cleaning liquid supply surface F2 and the ink ejection surface F1. At this time, the waste ink and waste cleaning liquid wiped off by the wiper 25 are collected in a collection tray (not shown) provided in the wipe unit 19, and transferred to a waste ink tank (not shown) via a waste ink tube. stored in The recovery operation of the recording head 17 is executed by controlling the operations of the recording head 17, the wipe unit 19, the supply pump 72, etc. based on the control signal from the control section 110 (see FIG. 1).

Next, the structure around the sub-ink tank 50 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5, the detection sensor 55 includes a float 56 which is arranged in the sub-ink tank 50 and which moves up and down within a predetermined range according to the amount of ink in the sub-ink tank 50, and a sensor which detects the movement of the float 56 in the up-and-down direction. and a rod-shaped sensor main body 57 for detecting the liquid surface of the ink 22 . The float 56 is cylindrical and has a magnet (not shown) inside. The sensor main body 57 is inserted through the center of the float 56 . Inside the sensor main body 57, a reed switch (not shown) is provided which operates in accordance with the vertical movement of a magnet (not shown). Note that when the liquid surface of the ink 22 drops to a predetermined position, the float 56 drops to its lower limit position. As a result, a reed switch (not shown) is actuated, a replenishment signal is transmitted from the sensor main body 57 to the control section 110 , and a predetermined amount of ink 22 is replenished from the ink pack 76 to the sub ink tank 50 . Then, the liquid surface of the ink 22 rises to a predetermined position, and the float 56 rises to its upper limit position.

The sub-ink tank 50 is arranged at a height such that the liquid surface of the ink 22 is slightly below the recording head 17 . For this reason, a negative pressure is applied to the ink 22 of the recording head 17 so that the meniscus of the ink 22 is curved toward the inside (upper side) of the recording head 17 at a certain position (lower end of the ink ejection port 18a of the recording head 17). It is formed.

As shown in FIG. 6, the supply pump 72 is arranged in a hollow cylinder 72a and a hollow portion of the cylinder 72a, and is moved along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) of the cylinder 72a by a driving mechanism (not shown). and a piston portion 72b.

The ink supply tube 70 is composed of an upstream tube (liquid feeding path) 70a and a downstream tube (supply path) 70b. , and the upstream end of the downstream tube 70b connected to the recording head 17 are connected. That is, the downstream tube 70b connects the recording head 17 and the supply unit 60, and the ink 22 supplied from the supply unit 60 to the recording head 17 passes therethrough.

An upstream end of an air vent tube 73 that allows the air in the supply pump 72 to pass is connected to the piston portion 72b. When air gradually enters the supply pump 72 for some reason (for example, a foreign object is caught between the inner surface of the cylinder 72a and the piston portion 72b), the air release tube 73 removes the air inside the supply pump 72. provided for removal. The air that has entered the supply pump 72 accumulates at the boundary between the piston portion 72 b and the liquid surface (upper surface) of the ink 22 . Therefore, when the piston portion 72b is moved downward, the air in the supply pump 72 can be moved to the sub ink tank 50 via the air vent tube 73. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that the air removal operation is performed periodically (for example, about once a week).

The ink supply tube 75, the upstream tube 70a, the downstream tube 70b, and the air vent tube 73 are provided with electromagnetic valves G75, G70a, G70b, and G73 for opening and closing the ink channels (or air channels), respectively. The opening and closing operations of the solenoid valves G75, G70a, G70b and G73 are performed by the control unit 110. FIG.

Here, in this embodiment, the recording head 17 is connected to the upstream end of a circulation tube (circulation path) 78 through which the ink 22 returning from the recording head 17 to the supply unit 60 passes. The circulation tube 78 is provided to return the ink 22 from the recording head 17 to the supply unit 60 when the air inside the recording head 17 is removed. The downstream end of the circulation tube 78 is connected to the ink replenishment tube 75. Here, the portion of the ink replenishment tube 75 downstream of the replenishment pump 77 (see FIG. 5) and upstream of the electromagnetic valve G75 is It is connected to the.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a supply coupling 41 capable of separating and connecting the downstream tube 70b is provided at a predetermined position of the downstream tube 70b through which the ink 22 supplied from the supply unit 60 to the recording head 17 passes. is provided. The supply coupling 41 includes a male portion 41a arranged on the upstream side and a female portion 41b arranged on the downstream side and detachable from the male portion 41a. In each of the male portion 41a and the female portion 41b, the ink passage is opened when the male portion 41a and the female portion 41b are connected, and the ink passage is opened when the male portion 41a and the female portion 41b are separated. A closed valve member (not shown) is incorporated.

A circulation coupling 42 capable of separating and connecting the circulation tube 78 is provided at a predetermined position of the circulation tube 78 through which the ink 22 returning from the recording head 17 to the supply unit 60 passes. The circulation coupling 42 includes a female portion 42a arranged on the upstream side and a male portion 42b arranged on the downstream side and detachable from the female portion 42a. In each of the female portion 42a and the male portion 42b, the ink passage is opened when the female portion 42a and the male portion 42b are connected, and the ink passage is opened when the female portion 42a and the male portion 42b are separated. A closed valve member (not shown) is incorporated.

A bypass tube (bypass route) 79 connects a portion of the downstream tube 70 b upstream of the supply coupling 41 and a portion of the circulation tube 78 downstream of the circulation coupling 42 . The bypass tube 79 is configured to be switchable between a communicating state and a blocked state. In this embodiment, the bypass tube 79 is provided with a clamp (switching member) 80 that opens and closes the ink flow path. Instead of providing the clamp 80, a commercially available clip (not shown) or the like may be used to switch the bypass tube 79 between the communicating state and the blocking state.

As shown in FIG. 6, the circulation tube 78 is connected to the upstream end of a discharge tube (discharge path) 81 for discharging the storage liquid filled in the recording head 17 in the initial state (at the time of shipment). Here, the discharge tube 81 is connected to a portion of the circulation tube 78 on the downstream side of the circulation coupling 42 . The discharge tube 81 is provided with an electromagnetic valve G81 that opens and closes the storage liquid flow path. The downstream end of the discharge tube 81 is connected to a waste storage liquid tank (not shown). Further, the circulation tube 78 is provided with an electromagnetic valve G78 for opening and closing the ink flow path. Here, the solenoid valve G78 is provided at a portion downstream of the connection portion of the circulation tube 78 with the discharge tube 81 . The opening and closing operations of the solenoid valves G81 and G78 are performed by the controller 110. FIG.

In this inkjet recording apparatus 100, when the ink 22 is replenished from the ink pack 76 to the sub ink tank 50, the electromagnetic valve G75 is open and the electromagnetic valve G78 is closed. When supplying the ink 22 from the sub ink tank 50 to the supply pump 72, the electromagnetic valves G75 and G73 are closed and the electromagnetic valve G70a is open. When the supply pump 72 is used to supply the ink 22 toward the recording head 17, the electromagnetic valves G70a and G73 are closed and the electromagnetic valve G70b is open. It should be noted that the solenoid valves G70a and G70b are closed and the solenoid valve G73 is opened during the air vent operation described above.

When the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is shipped, the supply unit 60 is in an empty state (filled with air) in order to suppress deterioration of the ink 22, and the recording head 17 is filled with a storage liquid (not shown). filled. The supply coupling 41 is separated into a male portion 41a and a female portion 41b, and the circulation coupling 42 is separated into a female portion 42a and a male portion 42b.

When the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is delivered, the ink pack 76 is attached to the upstream end of the ink supply tube 75 and the supply unit 60 is filled with the ink 22 . At this time, the ink 22 is circulated from the downstream tube 70 b to the circulation tube 78 via the bypass tube 79 . That is, the supply unit 60 is filled with the ink 22 without going through the recording head 17 .

After that, the male part 41a and the female part 41b of the supply coupling 41 are connected to communicate the downstream tube 70b, and the female part 42a and the male part 42b of the circulation coupling 42 are connected to communicate the circulation tube 78. do. Also, the bypass tube 79 is closed by the clamp 80, and the electromagnetic valve G78 is closed. Then, the ink 22 is supplied to the recording head 17 by the supply pump 72 to replace the storage liquid of the recording head 17 with the ink 22 . The storage liquid in the recording head 17 is discharged to a waste storage liquid tank (not shown) through the discharge tube 81 . After that, the solenoid valve G81 is closed and the solenoid valve G78 is opened.

In this embodiment, as described above, the portion of the downstream tube 70b on the upstream side with respect to the supply coupling 41 and the portion of the circulation tube 78 on the downstream side with respect to the circulation coupling 42 can be communicated and blocked. connected by a configured bypass tube 79 . This allows the ink 22 to be circulated from the downstream tube 70 b to the circulation tube 78 via the bypass tube 79 when the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is delivered. That is, the supply unit 60 can be filled with the ink 22 without going through the recording head 17 . Thereafter, the male portion 41a and the female portion 41b of the supply coupling 41 are connected to communicate the downstream tube 70b, and the male portion 42b and the female portion 42a of the circulation coupling 42 are connected to communicate the circulation tube 78. However, by replacing the storage liquid of the recording head 17 with the ink 22, it is possible to suppress air bubbles from being involved in the ink 22 of the recording head 17 (the generation of air bubbles in the ink 22).

Also, by providing the bypass tube 79 that connects the downstream tube 70b and the circulation tube 78, it is not necessary to connect the supply coupling 41 and the circulation coupling 42 to form a circulation structure on the supply unit 60 side. . As a result, when replacing the storage liquid in the recording head 17 with the ink 22 after filling the supply unit 60 with the ink 22, there is no need to separate the supply coupling 41 and the circulation coupling 42. and the circulation coupling 42, the ink 22 does not leak. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside of the inkjet recording apparatus 100 from being stained with the ink 22 .

Further, as described above, the downstream tube 70 b connects the supply pump 72 and the recording head 17 , and the circulation tube 78 connects the recording head 17 and the ink supply tube 75 . As a result, the ink 22 can be easily supplied from the supply unit 60 to the recording head 17 via the downstream tube 70b, and the ink 22 can be easily returned from the recording head 17 to the supply unit 60 via the circulation tube 78. be able to.

Further, as described above, the bypass tube 79 is provided with the clamp 80 that opens and closes the bypass tube 79 . Thus, when the inkjet recording apparatus 100 is delivered, the ink 22 can be easily circulated from the downstream tube 70 b to the circulation tube 78 via the bypass tube 79 by setting the bypass tube 79 to the open state. Further, after the supply unit 60 is filled with the ink 22 , the bypass tube 79 is cut off so that the storage liquid in the recording head 17 can be easily replaced with the ink 22 .

Further, as described above, the circulation tube 78 is connected to the discharge tube 81 through which the storage liquid discharged from the recording head 17 passes. This makes it possible to easily prevent the storage liquid from entering the sub-ink tank 50 when replacing the storage liquid in the recording head 17 with the ink 22 .

It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed this time should be considered as examples and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the description of the above-described embodiments, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the ink 22 is used as an example of the liquid, but the present invention is not limited to this. A cleaning liquid may be used as the liquid supplied from the supply unit 60 to the recording head 17 and returned from the recording head 17 to the supply unit 60 .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which the discharge tube (discharge path) 81 is connected to the circulation tube (circulation path) 78 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the discharge tube (discharge path) 81 is connected to the circulation tube. It does not have to be connected to the (circulation path) 78 .

17 recording head 22 ink (liquid)
41 supply coupling 42 circulation coupling 50 sub-ink tank (liquid tank)
60 supply unit 70a upstream tube (fluid feeding path)
70b downstream tube (supply route)
72 supply pump (liquid transfer pump)
75 Ink supply tube (supply path)
76 ink pack (replenishment container)
78 circulation tube (circulation path)
79 bypass tube (bypass route)
80 clamp (switching member)
81 discharge tube (discharge path)
100 inkjet recording device P paper (recording medium)

Claims (4)

a recording head that ejects ink onto a recording medium;
a supply unit that supplies liquid to the recording head;
a supply path connecting the supply unit and the recording head and through which the liquid supplied from the supply unit to the recording head passes;
a circulation path connecting the recording head and the supply unit, through which the liquid returns from the recording head to the supply unit;
with
The supply path is provided with a supply coupling capable of separating and connecting the supply path,
The circulation path is provided with a circulation coupling capable of separating and connecting the circulation path,
a portion of the supply path on the upstream side with respect to the supply coupling and a portion of the circulation path on the downstream side with respect to the circulation coupling are connected by a bypass path configured to be able to communicate and disconnect;
the supply coupling closes the supply path in a separated state;
The circulation coupling closes the circulation path in the separated state ,
An inkjet recording apparatus , wherein the circulation path is connected to a discharge path through which a liquid substance discharged from the recording head passes . The supply unit comprises: a liquid tank containing the liquid replenished from a replenishment container; a replenishment path connecting the replenishment container and the liquid tank; a liquid-sending pump that sends the liquid to the head; and a liquid-sending path that connects the liquid tank and the liquid-sending pump,
the supply path connects the liquid-sending pump and the recording head;
2. An inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said circulation path connects said recording head and said supply path. 3. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bypass path is provided with a switching member for connecting and disconnecting the bypass path. 4. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the liquid is ink.

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